The deployment of the new generation of cellular telephone networks using the so-called LTE standard (for “Long-Term Evolution”), the increase in the volume of data exchanged and the scale of the corresponding communication traffic, as well as the expansion of the community of users into emerging countries (China, India) require increasing networks' capacity to transmit data. In addition, traditional frequency bands (primarily the domain of 10-40 GHz) are crowded, and the growing density of users in urban networks increases the need for small cells in which the antennas are installed directly in the living spaces of cities.
All of these changes bring with them an increasing number of new requirements. The use of higher frequency bands (56-90 GHz) offers more bandwidth (in GHz) expressed as a percentage of the antenna's central operating frequency. This helps meet bandwidth capacity needs. These high frequencies suffer from higher absorption levels in air/water, so they are more suited to short connections that correspond to the needs of smaller cells. The cells' small size also enables a good compromise for gain, and therefore enables the use of smaller antenna apertures. In order to improve acceptance among the public and the owners of antenna installations in residential areas, it is important to have discrete, low-volume solutions that do not disrupt the landscape as a whole. Network operators have turned this desire into a requirement for so-called “low form factor” antenna requirements, as they have limited ranges, or for equipment that looks completely different from an antenna.
With smaller antennas, the cost of equipment decreases, and as a result the cost factor represented by installing the antenna is drawing more and more attention from operators, who want to reduce and optimize installation times. In conclusion, low form factor antennas operating at high radio frequencies, which allow easy installation and are objectively and subjectively less conspicuous, have now become essential.
Current radio link systems are generally composed of a transmission antenna (which may be of different technical types such as dish, clamshell, patch, horn, etc.), which is supported by a mount fastened to a tower or mast structure, and a radio box that is often mounted directly onto the rear of the antenna, and which consequently is also supported by the antenna's mount. The assembly device is composed of a certain number of mounting elements, screws, nuts, and other fastening elements. However, such a system has multiple drawbacks:                the antenna remains clearly visible and identifiable as such        the assembly and installation of such an antenna system takes a relatively long time due to the large number of parts that must be handled by the installers        depending on the system's technical arrangement, it is likely that the installation process requires more than two hands        the system does not allow the antenna to be adjusted in both the horizontal plane (azimuth) and the vertical plane (tilt)        the system is not visually pleasing, and a structure comprising an antenna separate from the assembly device and radio box is far from being optimized with respect to wind resistance.        